Show ContentsArner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Many Irish surnames can be traced back to their Gaelic forms. The name Arner originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó hEachthigheirn or Ó hEachthigheirna, made up of the words "each" meaning "steed," and "thighearna," meaning "lord." This was first Anglicized O'Hagherin, which was later changed to O'Aherne before the prefix was eventually dropped. 1

Early Origins of the Arner family

The surname Arner was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat as a Dalcassian sept from before the year 1000. However, with the disruptions of the Strongbow Invasion of 1172, they migrated southward to counties Cork and Waterford. In Waterford the name is predominantly Hearn and Hearne.

Early History of the Arner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arner research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1420, 1566, 1754, 1769, 1797 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Arner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arner Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname Arner were found in the many archives researched. These included O'Aherne, O'Ahern, Hearne, O'Heffron, Haveran, Hayveren and many more.

Early Notables of the Arner family

More information is included under the topic Early Arner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arner Ranking

In the United States, the name Arner is the 18,830th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Arner migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name Arner:

Arner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Felix Arner, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 3

Canada Arner migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Arner Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Jacob Arner, Sr., U.E., United Empire Loyalist, who settled in Canada c. 1783 upon petition of his son Jacob Arner, order in council March, 10, 1834 4
  • Mr. Jacob Arner, Jr., U.E., United Empire Loyalist, who settled in Canada c. 1783 4
  • Mr. Jacob I Arner, U.E., United Empire Loyalist, who settled in Canada c. 1783 4
  • Mr. Jacob Arner, I, U.E., United Empire Loyalist, who settled in Canada c. 1783 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Arner (post 1700) +

  • James J. Arner, American politician, Burgess of Clarion, Pennsylvania, 1960 5
  • Louise Arner Boyd (1887-1972), American Arctic explorer 6


The Arner Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Per ardua surgo
Motto Translation: I rise through difficulties.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. Louise Boyd. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Louise Boyd. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Boyd


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